Who is Brightwater Homes?
Charlie Bostwick founded Brightwater Homes 14 years ago on the principles of craftsmanship and community, integrating modern design with timeless architecture to create exceptional living spaces. Today, the company stands as a distinguished design-build firm at the forefront of the real estate industry, renowned for its commitment to quality, innovation and customer satisfaction.
They design and build 40+ homes annually between two states, Georgia and South Carolina. With a dedicated team of experts, Brightwater Homes goes beyond the conventional approach to home building, focusing on every detail from initial concept to completion.
“We really focus on unique architecture and design,” said Steven Sanders-Myers, purchasing manager at Brightwater Homes. “We’re thinking about how our buyers are going to engage with each other and live in their homes. A substantial part of this is the energy performance of our homes, which we pursue through an emphasis on using progressive building science and advanced building methods. This enables us to build a lot of net-zero energy homes, and we’re moving to be 100% net-zero ready within the next six months.”
Their commitment to sustainability sets them apart from other builders in the Atlanta and Charleston markets. Homeowners come to them wanting homes that will exceed their expectations.
Company name
Brightwater Homes
Industry
Custom homes
Location
Atlanta, Georgia & Charleston, South Carolina
Seeing the benefits: Ensuring sustainability through relationships and cost savings
In addition to their unique building practices and focus on sustainability, Brightwater Homes also has an upper hand as a member of CBUSA’s group purchasing organization. They first joined in 2019 as they were still building out a purchasing department, and they saw the opportunity to gain more buying power while reducing upfront costs.
“The rebates were important, but that was more icing on the backend,” Steven said. “We were more focused on the front-end cost savings.”
“Based on the study we’ve done, we’re seeing an approximate cost savings of $5,000 a house up front. And then on the backend there’s another roughly $5,000. So, it’s realistic to say there’s approximately $350,000 to $400,000 cost savings annually that we benefit from by being a part of the group purchasing.”
The Brightwater team also quickly saw the benefit of working with other like-minded builders in their area. Membership in CBUSA fosters a collaborative environment where builders can share knowledge and expertise. Brightwater Homes actively engages in their network, contributing their insights and learning from peers.
“The camaraderie, being able to bounce ideas and pointers and trade referrals between the group is impactful,” Steven said. “Being able to talk with peers and provide feedback and receive feedback is probably the best part of it.”
“We were going back and forth on what would be the best system to use for our net-zero homes and wanted to upgrade to Lennox systems. With CBUSA’s national partnership, we were able to get that cost down and make it within reason.”
– Steven Sanders-Myers, Purchasing Manager at Brightwater Homes
This collaboration enhances their ability to solve complex building challenges and continuously improve their processes.
But the collaboration doesn’t stop there.
With the help of CBUSA and their established relationships with leading suppliers, Brightwater was able to secure high-end Lennox products at lower cost.
“We were going back and forth on what would be the best system to use for our net-zero homes and wanted to upgrade to Lennox systems, but it was cost prohibitive,” Steven said. “But with CBUSA’s national partnership, we were able to get that cost down and make it within reason.”
It’s because of partnerships like this that Brightwater is well on their way to reaching their goal of being 100% net-zero by 2025.
Finding success: Gaining a partner for long-term growth and success
CBUSA does most of the work when it comes to managing supplier relationships. They take a lot of the front-end negotiations off Steven’s shoulders, so he can focus on internal cost control and building budgets.
“Every home we build has a unique estimate, budget and takeoff that has to be done,” Steven said. “Nothing’s copy and paste. So, for me to know that a deal’s already been negotiated for a Rinnai water heater or a Lennox HVAC system, I know I’m not going to have to go out and pursue that because the work’s been done.”
Membership in CBUSA has proven to be a transformative experience for Brightwater Homes, offering a variety of tangible and intangible benefits that elevate the business. The opportunity for growth and development through shared knowledge and resources is endless.
“CBUSA is going to help you elevate your business,” Steven said. “I mean, if you strictly just look at the financial side, then there’s absolute benefit with minimal input. But the intangible benefit of peer feedback, being able to get insider information on how other builders are running their businesses – it’s on par with Builder 20 groups.”
The Atlanta market is one of the top-performing chapters in CBUSA. Are you ready to join in on their success?
Apply to become a CBUSA member today and start seeing the benefits of group purchasing. Offer clients more value, improve supplier relationships and add tens of thousands to your bottom line.